This I Believe

I believe that if you trust your instincts you can never be led astray. One typical summer’s day my four children and I were heading off for a mid afternoon’s trip on our boat. The sun was shining and the current was calm. It was the perfect day to float in the bay and fish. As we slowly made our way through the lagoons of our small community, I began to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I looked over my controls, at the sky, and at my depth finder, and everything indicated that things were great. But the closer we got to the bay the more dread I was feeling. My oldest daughter who was 11 at the time, saw the look on my face and asked what was wrong. I was honest. I told her that I wasn’t quite sure, but I told her the closer we got to the bay the heavier this feeling of dread became. She simply said, “Then turn around Mom.” As I looked at the other three children laughing and having a good time, I told them that we had to turn around. They all said it was fine. No sooner did we arrive back at the house when a terrible storm rocked our small community. In less than 15 minutes from making the decision to turn around, the storm was upon us. We lost power for a few hours and when I checked on the boat following the storm it was completely submerged. I fell to my knees and cried, knowing full well that I could have lost everything I held so dear to my heart. I believe I knew something dreadful was going to happen, I’m thankful that I followed my instinct and it led me to the safety of my home.

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Top 100 Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

This week’s essay

As half of the magic act Penn and Teller, Penn Jillette enjoys challenging his audiences with the unconventional. In stating his personal credo, Jillette finds liberation in believing there is no God. Click here to read his essay.